Yeah, it’s been hotter, much hotter

Whew!As I was working on the farm — with sweat dripping off my nose — I wondered, “Has it ever been this hot?”And then I remembered.  Summer of 1957.Baker County, Georgia.Pilgrims Home Free Will Baptist Church.But first, how did my great-grandparents’ church get that name?

School bells can be heard in distance as summer for our youth nears end

Local youth may not want to think about this, but time is approaching.The conclusion of summer break is inching closer. In a mere three weeks, students will return to classes throughout Rabun County.

250 years of American awakenings: From Washington’s travels to today

Few references in any context of American history have “sleep” ever been denoted – and most of those limited times only skim the surface of reality.

A letter. A bracelet. And God’s anonymous hand.

The Beloved Woman Who Shared My Name had a refrigerator magnet that said “Coincidence is God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous.” I have just had a number of coincidences that will require some explanation, so bear with me.This column generates quite a bit of reader response, depending on the subject.

Are Georgia’s tort reforms starting to pay off?

Rising insurance premiums for home and auto have long been attributed to the cost of Georgia’s legal landscape. For years, those bills kept climbing, and Georgia frequently ranked among the worst states for lawsuit abuse and excessive tort costs — until lawmakers decided to act.

Ukraine must win the war, minister says, but help needed

His words arrive clearly — strong and direct words — even though the speaker is 5,400 miles away. “If Ukraine were to lose this war,” Buddy Thigpen says by phone, “it will be dramatic. It will make a difference for the rest of our grandchildren’s lives.

Combat the bloodsuckers

It truly may be a head-scratcher on a variety levels, but the increased number this summer of blood-sucking ticks is both perplexing and downright irritating.

Roy was right: ‘Only the lonely’

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roy Orbison burst on the scene in the early 1960s with his hit “Only the Lonely,” which he wrote along with Joe Melson.

Looking right in at a write-in campaign for governor

A number of you agreed with my description of the recent Republican gubernatorial runoff between billionaire businessman Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones as a mudslinging pig fight and told me you were turned off by them both.

It’s The Law: Arriving in America’s mailboxes

Imagine opening your mailbox and finding an envelope addressed to you. It looks legitimate. It has proper postage and even a tracking number. You open it — and there’s absolutely nothing inside. Or perhaps a small package arrives that you never ordered.